Every flagship Galaxy Tab S tablet comes with an S Pen, giving you a great tool for sketching, note-taking, and efficient browsing without smudging up the display with fingerprints. Not everyone can afford a flagship tablet, but thankfully, the list of Galaxy tablets that support the S Pen includes cheaper or rugged Galaxy Tabs, too.
Samsung makes some of the best Android tablets, premium or cheap, but not every model comes with a stylus. Below is the list of every Galaxy Tab still available for purchase that either gives you an S Pen in the box or at least supports it if you buy one separately.
These are the Galaxy Tablets that support the S Pen
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Best overall
Why upgrade to the latest generation of Galaxy Tab S9 models? Aside from the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the switch back to AMOLED for the 11-inch model, the Tab S9 is the first Samsung tablet besides the Active lineup with an IP68 rating, both for the tablets and the S Pens. You can use it anywhere without fear of a wayward spill or rainfall ruining your device. Armed with the S Pen, this is a great compact option for work, school, or relaxing.
Best budget
To be clear, we're not talking about the original Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, which had a sleek design and colorful 2K display but woeful performance that made our reviewer say, "Just buy an iPad." Samsung released a 2022 revamped version with a faster Snapdragon 720G chip, a better S Pen with more sensitivity points, and Android 12 instead of 10, modernizing this affordable tablet and making it easier to recommend.
Best premium
As our Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra review explained, this is "more than just a tablet." It's insanely powerful — especially if you get the pricey 16GB upgrade — with more than enough space for DeX Mode and productivity. Of course, this makes it more likely you'll use it with a keyboard trackpad or Bluetooth mouse instead of the S Pen, since it's not something you can easily hold one-handed while swiping with the other. But the option is still there if you want it.
Middle sweet spot
As always, the Tab S9 Plus is for people who find 11-inch tablets too small but the 14.6-inch Ultra too ungainly to hold comfortably. It's also the only model with a 5G option as well as waterproofing; so if you tablet you can rely on when you're away from consistent Wi-Fi, this is the tablet to choose. It also gives you more RAM and storage than the Tab S9 by default.
Best 'Fan Edition'
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE won't win awards for being the most powerful tablet out there, but it's no slouch either. Samsung also didn't try to reinvent the wheel, as the Tab S9 FE looks just like its non-FE sibling. Instead, the biggest difference comes in the form of the LCD screen (compared to OLED,) and the Exynos 1380 SoC instead of the latest Qualcomm chip. Even still, you'll be able to start doodling right away with the included S Pen.
Everything you need, but bigger
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus is essentially just a carbon copy of the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, with a few key differences. Like the Tab S9 FE, the Plus model is powered by Samsung's Exynos 1380 chip, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. Samsung also claims the Tab S9 FE Plus will last for up to 20 hours on a single charge, making it a long-lasting digital notebook with the included S Pen, or your primary source for entertainment.
Best rugged pick
The Galaxy Tab Active 5 is more of a successor to the Tab Active 3 than the Active 4. All three models include an S Pen and are incredibly durable. However, the Tab Active 5 sports an 8-inch display that matches up with the Active 3. It's also powered by Samsung's own Exynos 1380, along with offering 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage.
Best budget alternative
This fan edition tablet launched as an affordable alternative to the Tab S7 Plus, and it still has promised support through Android 14, making it worth buying today if the Tab S8 Plus or S9 Plus costs too much for you. The Galaxy Tab S7 FE comes with an S Pen and gives you a spacious 12.4 inches of display space for multitasking. Though as our review noted, take care to find a version with at least 6GB if you can; the 4GB version tends to get overloaded fairly quickly.
Best last-gen performance
The Galaxy Tab S8 hasn't lost a step, even though the Tab S9 has supplanted it. Like others on this list, Samsung includes an S Pen in the box, with a slightly higher latency (6.2ms) compared to the S8 Ultra (2.8ms) because of its LCD display. But this difference is still negligible in everyday use. This model is best to use comfortably on the go with the stylus in one hand, whereas the massive S8 Plus and Ultra do better sitting on a desk with a kickstand.
The middle child
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 Plus was our pick for the best Android tablet on the market until the Tab S9 arrived. It's not over-sized like its Ultra counterpart, while still offering all of the same features you could want. And yes, there's an S Pen in the box here too, so you don't need to go and grab one after the fact. Compared to the smaller LCD model, you get the benefit of an AMOLED visual upgrade, which our reviewer said "makes a world of difference for color fidelity" with "rich colors and deeper blacks."
Best premium alternative
Without a doubt, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a behemoth of a tablet. It features a massive 14.6-inch display, and the included S Pen provides just 2.6ms of latency. It's really the complete flagship package, with the option to jump to 16GB of RAM if you want the best possible Android productivity tablet. It's too big for portability, but as a desk companion, it gives you a laptop-sized touchscreen that'll let you take full advantage of its multitasking software (via the S Pen).
Best rugged alternative
Like the Tab S6 Lite, Samsung refreshed the 2019 Galaxy Tab Active Pro three years later, keeping the same rugged specs while adding a newer processor and the latest Android updates. The Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro has a solid Snapdragon 778G processor with up to 6GB of RAM, a 550-nit display ready for the outdoors, and a removable battery. It comes with a case with a built-in S Pen slot so you'll never lose it, and it can withstand being dropped 5 feet or crazy weather conditions. Plus, the S Pen itself has an IP68 rating.
Putting S Pen to screen
While the South Korean brand makes a lot of great tablets, only the best Samsung tablets support the popular S Pen — specifically its flagship Tab S series and its rugged Active series. A few of the older Tab A tablets supported it, but it seems Samsung has decided not to maintain S Pen support with its newest budget Tabs. With those, you'd have to use a non-smart capacitive stylus instead.
Even if your tablet shipped with an S Pen, you can pair a second more advanced S Pen with it for added functionality. Samsung offers the S Pen Pro for $99, which has two buttons, Bluetooth functionality, and can be charged via USB-C. The S Pen Creators Edition is also about $100, and features a thicker body for a more comfortable grip, and enhanced tilt sensitivity. Both pens work with the Tab S6 series and above.
If you're looking for an affordable S pen experience, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022) or Tab S9 FE is the way to go. The Tab S7 FE can still be found online and is something worth grabbing while it lasts. Something else to consider is that there are some pretty good deals on the Galaxy Tab S8 series.
For the lowest possible latency, the Galaxy Tab S9 series, along with the Tab S8 Plus and Ultra, all give you an ultra-quick 2.4ms delay, followed by the Tab S8 at 6.2ms. Every other tablet has a delay of 9ms or higher; that still beats many tablets for responsiveness, but you'll want the newest available Galaxy Tabs for the best experience.
Specifically with the Galaxy Tab S9 series, you get an IP68 water-resistant rating for both the tablets and their bundled S Pens. This makes them somewhat rugged, but not as reliable as the Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro with its MIL-STD-810H rating for drops. At least you can close the gap with one of the best Galaxy Tab S9 cases, without having to sacrifice all of the other upgrades the Tab S9 has over the Active lineup.
Otherwise, if you like the S Pen for note-taking but don't necessarily need a Samsung "tablet," its phones and tablet-sized foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy S24 Ultra also support the S Pen — though they use a specific miniature-sized one designed for mobile.
